Sugar free winter pudding ideas

There's no denying that, along with creamy casseroles, hearty soups and delicious pasta dishes, winter is the season for puddings.

The cold weather takes many people back to the days when their mother would make sticky date desserts, piping hot apple crumbles and indulging self-saucing chocolate cakes.

If your mouth is watering as you read this, then you're not alone. It's rare to find a person who genuinely dislikes sweet treats - especially when they are hot, covered in sauce and jam-packed with butter and sugar.

However, for obvious reasons these indulgences aren't so good for your waistline - or your health, for that matter.

Hence why the days of dessert after dinner seem to be long gone, with puddings reserved purely for special occasions or Friday night's only.

A practical solution to weight loss and good health, but let's be honest - a little bit boring.

If you want to add some sweetness back into your life and enjoy eating puddings throughout the winter, then here are a few sugar-free recipe ideas that will leave you satisfied without adding extra kilos to your waistline.

As with all food groups, just remember - everything in moderation.

Oaty apple crumble

Fruit is high in natural sugar, but most of the extra calories in an apple crumble come from the topping.

Instead of mixing together brown sugar and flour for your crumble, try using oats and spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon instead.

If this is still not sweet enough, then adding a little Stevia should do the trick!

Chocolate mousse

Light, fluffy and delicious, this dessert is usually associated with lashings of cream and chocolate. However, by changing a few of the ingredients you can make a relatively healthy treat!

First things first, ditch the sugar by using Xylitol instead. Then swap the cream for skim milk and you're on your way. One of our chefs has concocted a recipe loosely based on this combination, try it out for yourself!

No matter what dessert you try, always remember that by using a healthy sugar you can cut down the number of calories easily and effectively.